Battle of the Suitors
by SKayeB
Summary: The boys are back, and more competitive than ever! The young lords all want to be Merida's betrothed, but the princess want nothing to do with them. When foreign enemies threaten the country, Merida will need to face one thought she never thought she would have to face- Being Queen! SKayeB owns nothing that you recognize from the movie.
1. Chapter 1

Merida looked out over the green grounds of the Scottish forests. They were so quiet, so peaceful, compared to the bustle of the castle below. The view through her small window was slim- Glassmakers had long ago fixed the glass she had broken in an attempt to save her mother. Likewise, her bedroom was fixed from the chaos Queen Elinor had left it in.

"Merida! Come on!" A sharp voice called. "They'll be here at any moment!"

Merida groaned. "Mother! I was ready an hour ago!" And she was; Gone were the restricting garments the Queen had forced during the last visit from the tribes. Instead, she was allowed to wear a comparatively loose dress in a bright emerald green. Her hair was no longer in its usual, signature bush, neither was it hidden under cloth. Elinor had spent hours combing it to look generally tamed into a braid down her back.

Elinor scrutinized her daughter one last time. "If only you hadn't bargained off the DunBroch charm to that crazy bear witch," she mused, straightening the hem of the dress.

Merida rolled her eyes. "I apologized a million times, Mother. It can't be helped now."

And truly it couldn't. Fergus was forever being taunted by the clan leaders for being the true Bear King now: Every nook and cranny of the castle was filled with bear carvings, to Elinor's extreme distaste. A wagon filled with the woodcraft had rattled into the castle, without horse or driver. The bears danced through the air as if by magic and settled themselves into whatever spot they found fit.

"I know, Merida. Hurry now, the kingdom is waiting," Elinor chastised. Merida gave a loud sigh and ran out of the room and down to the Great Hall.

Fergus was yelling at the triplets for attempting to put horse dung over the seat of the king's throne, and the bucket they had used was fairly ripe.

"Ugh! What is that smell?" Merida cried, taking her seat.

Fergus just grumbled and tossed the bucket to Maudie, who, of course, gave a shriek and dumped it all over herself on accident. The triplets giggled from their seat, loving that their trick had hit home. Kitchen maids helped poor Maudie away.

Elinor walked past the boys, frowning. "Fergus! What is happening down here?"

Fergus stumbled through an explanation, but halfway through a guard hit the butt of his staff on the floor, calling the room into quiet. Elinor took her seat as the guard began his introduction. "It is my pleasure to announce the arrival of Lords Macintosh, Mac- Ow!"

The doors were thrown open and in marched the three clans, oh so much like the first time they came to win Merida's hand.

"Dingwall, MacGuffin!" Fergus called, standing up and spreading his arms. "Macintosh! About time you three arrived!"

"If someone hadn't rolled their boat in front of the docks," shot dark-haired Lord Macintosh. "We would have been here an hour ago."

A damp looking Lord Dingwall scowled at the taller men. "If someone hadn't been screaming up a storm behind me!"

Fergus looked to his queen for help. She gave a sigh and stood up. "Lords, it's a pleasure to have you back. There is still the matter of Merida's betrothal to discuss. You all three announced that you're boys have interest in the princess?"

Merida blushed darkly as the three young men stepped forward. Young Macintosh winked at her, pushing his wavy hair out of his face. Young Dingwall was staring off into space, a pleasant smile on his face. Young MacGuffin looked at his feet sheepishly, blushing as brightly as Merida.

"Aye! My son deserves the Princess," called Lord Macintosh, putting his hands on his son's shoulders.

"No, my son does!"

"Are you crazy? Neither of those things deserves my son's bride!"

Elinor sighed. "Attention! Attention! My Lords, attention! Good. Now, we need to agree that we will not fight while we're here, or by God, I'll lock you in different wings of the castle as this goes on!"

The Lords, one by one, agreed they would not fight.

Merida crossed her arms and slumped in her seat, still not happy with any of that. The only consolation she had was she could simply not choose one of the three. And she would not be betrothed to any of those three boys.

"The young men will two weeks to woo the princess," Elinor announced to the gathered crowd. "If they fail to catch my daughter's eye, she will not be required to marry anyone. She will give her announcement in two weeks, and any ceremony will be planned accordingly."

Fergus smiled and stood up. "Now, onto the real competition! Who wants to compete in a little hammer throw?" The Bear King roared with laughter and led the charge out to the competition field.

Merida hung behind and walked with her mother. She examined her three suitors. Young Dingwall was still standing before the thrones, swaying slightly. Lord Dingwall had to run back and drag his son to the grounds. Young Macintosh was surrounded by women. He was flexing and boasting of the things he could do, just like the last time he visited. Young MacGuffin hid in his father's shadow, which usual wouldn't be possible except his father was even larger than he was.

Merida frowned. "I choose no one," she announced to her mother.

Elinor sighed, fixing Merida's braid. "You still have two weeks to decide, Merida. MacGuffin seems nice. You should talk to him."

"I can't understand a word he says, Mum! He'll have to write down everything he wants to say!"

Elinor hushed her, frowning. "Give them a chance, and don't do anything brash. Their prides are all the Lords have. Don't make the same mistake again."

"Yes, Mother…" Merida heaved a sigh and walked down to the grounds. She took her place on her throne and watched as men competed before her.

"Oh, look how far the MacGuffin boy can throw the hammer! Fergus will be whining for weeks if he loses!" Elinor laughed, not seeing the triplets stumbled behind her with a tray of sweets perched on their heads. "And DIngwall won the archery competition again! Maybe he is talented at that, do you suppose?"

Merida slouched in her seat, bored out of her mind. "Mother, I don't care…"

"Hush. You need to be paying attention." Elinor went back to scrutinizing her daughter's suitors.

Merida stared up at the sky. "Where's the witch when you need her?" she moaned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to all of my reviewers, favoriters, and followers! This is by far my most successful story; nothing else got eight reviews in the first twelve hours. Trust me, there will be the bare minimum of OCs, and none of them will end up with Merida. I have an idea for which boy she will like, but I would like to hear your guys' opinions. Who is your favorite suitor?**

**Since Young MacGuffin has to speak in this story, I'll be using this page to translate (Remove the spaces). If you need some help translating, go here: ** sco. wikipedia wiki/ Wikipedia:Scots-English-Scots_dictionar

Merida was just tightening Angus' saddle when she heard an impatient noise behind her. Turning, she saw the Macintosh boy. His arms were crossed and his expression was irritated, a look that did not suit him well. "About time you noticed me. This place stinks," he said, eyeing Angus with distaste.

Merida scowled. "If you have a problem with my horse-"

"Anyway, do you want to go down to the beach? I could show you my father's long boat," Young Macintosh said, looking almost hopeful as he looked down at her.

Merida hesitated, knowing her mother would want her to go. "I suppose a little while won't hurt…" she said hesitantly.

Macintosh grinned. "Alright. Let's go," he said, grabbing her hand and dragging her towards the gates of the castle.

Merida's shoulder was aching by the time they reached the shores. Macintosh had told her the whole, entire story of some competition back in his clan that he had won, purely from his wit and strength. The whole story made Merida dislike him even more, although there were moments when his humanity showed through. Whenever he paused, he would look at Merida like a puppy deprived of attention and yearning for her approval. Or maybe he just needed a long time alone in an outhouse.

He showed her around their long boat, which was nothing foreign to Merida. Halfway through his tour, a mob of girls ran down the dock, sighing and screaming as they spotted Macintosh. He reveled in the attention, flexing and encouraging them all. Merida took the opportunity to slip away back to the castle, not that she would be missed.

She was just riding Angus to the gates of the castle when she heard muffled whispering behind her. Looking back, she saw the Dingwalls talking. Young Dingwall was holding the reins of a rather short, donkey-like horse, while Lord Dingwall was whispering furiously at him, pointing towards Merida.

Merida let out a long sigh. "Will I ever get to ride in piece?" she asked Angus. He simply snorted and stomped his feet.

Merida waited until Young Dingwall caught up with her to begin her ride. She went slowly enough for the donkey-creature, which made Angus very unhappy.

"You know… Your hair is really red," Dingwall mused, staring intensely at her.

Merida blushed. "Well… I suppose it is," she said politely.

"Like… Really red." He smiled sweetly at her. "I really like your hair."

"Uh… Thank you?" Merida looked around, yanking on an auburn curl. "You know, Angus doesn't really need a ride-" There was a loud snort of indignation- "Maybe we should go back."

"Oh. Okay." Dingwall turned his donkey-creature and trotted back up the path to the castle.

Merida followed less enthusiastically, muttering to herself about impregnable boys.

As soon as Angus was taken care of, with many promises of a long run the next day, Merida fled to her room. She was no closer than half way there when she heard the call, "Oi! Princess!" When she turned, she saw Young MacGuffin. He jogged over to her, his face as red as Maudie's when the boys were stealing her sweets.

"You can talk?" Merida blurted before she could stop herself.

"Aye. A hae aye been talking. An, I wanted ti ken gin we cuid hae dinner thegither," MacGuffin said, his unknown dialect running the words together. He smiled at her sheepishly.

"Uh…" Merida looked around. "Could you write that down?"

MacGuffin looked confused, and a bit hurt, but nodded. Merida got paper and a pen for him, and he wrote (in handwriting that was almost as bad as his speech) that he wanted to have supper with her.

Merida agreed, relieved to finally understand him somewhat. "I'm sure my father would let you join us," she said, smiling. "I have to go change."

MacGuffin smiled at her and waved goodbye, taking the paper and pen with him.

Merida rushed back to her room and changed into cleaner clothes. Elinor walked in just as Merida was sliding into the garment.

"Have you talked to the young Lords?" Elinor asked, smiling. "They seem nice."

Merida rolled her eyes. "Yes. I can't marry any of them, Mum. I'd be miserable."

Elinor pursed her lips. "Try to at least to let them down gently, Merida. By what their father says, they all truly do want to marry you."

Merida gave an exasperated sigh. "They don't know me, Mother! How could they want to marry me?" she exclaimed.

The Queen frowned and examined a bear carving on the fireplace mantle. "Merida, you don't know them either. Who knows, one of them could truly love you."

Merida threw herself onto the bed. "Mum, you can't just throw three boys at me and expect me to fall for one…" she mumbled through her pillows. All that came out was a long mumble.

"Merida, sit up," Elinor commanded, reaching for the hair brush. "Come here."

Merida did as her mother said. "I just don't think I will marry any of them."

Elinor frowned. "Please, Merida. This means the world to those boys. And their fathers…"

Merida made a face. "Fine." She walked out before her mother could even touch her hair. She went down to the Great Hall, frowning as she saw the extra spots at the table. MacGuffin was already seated to the right of her spot, and her other two suitors were fighting for her left hand chair.

Dingwall had his jaws around Macintosh's ankle, while the larger boy screamed and yanked on his feet. Merida took her seat, pretending nothing was happening and let her father deal with it.

"Boys! Stop! Ow, curse it, Dingwall, that was my finger! Ah! Stop, stop!" Fergus was attempting to split the boys, but instead was getting drawn into the fight. "Ouch!"

The triplets were taking advantage of the ruckus to feed all of their stinking haggis to the dogs, which ate it happily. As soon as Elinor took her seat, everyone seemed to snap to attention. Fergus grabbed Dingwall and Macintosh by the back of their kilts and tossed them out of the room. "Good riddance!" he exclaimed, taking his seat moodily.

Elinor just gave him a look. "Very well. MacGuffin, you won the log throw this morning, I hear," she said, smiling at the large boy.

"Aye, m'lady. Hit wis nae a hard think." He smiled at the DunBroch family, still blushing whenever he caught Merida's gaze.

Elinor looked slightly perturbed. "Oh. Very well. Fergus?"

Fergus' brow was furrowed. "Was it truly easy for you?" he asked, obviously translating for the rest of the family.

"Aye." MacGuffin proceeded to tell Fergus about his various skills, nowhere near as boastful as Macintosh. No one else at the table understood a word, and Fergus only caught half of it, but MacGuffin continued to talk.

Merida escaped the first chance she got, throwing the boys her desserts under the table. She ran her to her room and slammed the door behind her, finally alone and away from her pesky suitors.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and added this story to their favorites. More people voted for MacGuffin than Macintosh or Dingwall, but lots of others gave pretty good points on other suitors. I'll definitely have a hard time making a final decision. I'll be updating every other day unless something major happens, so if I'm late a day, don't worry.**

**Moonlight Calls- I don't think I'll give them names. I'll stick to the actual movie as close as possible. Giving them names might change their character in my mind, and I'd hate for that to happen.**

**Fett012000- That would be my roleplaying experience coming through. I'm used to only having one or two sentences to write at one time. I'll try to work on the whole comma thing.**

**As for the pen in the last chapter, I absolutely hate that mistake. I had quill written at first… Oh well. I'll correct it when the whole story is done.**

"BOYS!" Merida rolled over in her bed, her father's yells hardly waking her. "GET BACK HERE!"

She didn't even wake up when she heard a faraway clang and Maudie's screams.

Merida did wake up as her mother walked in and yanked the curtains back. "Wake up!" she said cheerfully. "Breakfast is almost ready." Her daughter groaned and sat up, her hair even messier than usual.

"Mum…" she whined. "It's too early…"

Elinor suppressed a smile. "No, it's not. Young Macintosh has been here for hours, trying to woo his way into the castle."

Merida rolled her eyes. "Typical," she said, standing up. She grabbed one of her usual dresses. "He actually tried to tell me what a boat was yesterday, before his mob arrived."

Elinor hesitated. "He just needs to mature a bit."

Merida scoffed. "A bit? Did you see him when he lost the hammer throw yesterday?"

"Trust me; he'll be a fine husband for whoever he marries one day." Elinor tried to brush out her daughter's hair.

"And he'll magically stop being a sore loser?" Merida rolled her eyes. "Of course, he will, Mum. I just hope I'll be far away from him when it happens."

Elinor sighed and pulled Merida's hair into a loose braid. "Of course, Merida. Hurry, now, breakfast will be getting cold."

Merida walked down to the Great Hall, yawning. The triplets were giggling in their chairs while Fergus ordered servants to clean a large stain on the wall; Merida didn't even want to guess what it was.

Elinor took her seat just as a servant girl scurried in, holding a thick stack of papers. Elinor had hardly seen the script on the top page when she called, "Fergus, come here."

The Bear King walked over to his wife, still watching the servants clean. "Yes?"

Elinor offered him the sheaf of papers. As Merida watched, he went pale under his thick beard. "We better get the chiefs…" he told Elinor softly.

"Why? What happened?" Merida asked curiously, trying to get a glimpse of the letters.

"Just some political business. Go ahead and eat, Merida. You too, boys," Elinor commanded, her tone stiffer than usual. She led Fergus to the stairs, and as she passed the boys she said softly, "You know what to do."

Merida frowned as her brothers smiled. If she didn't know them so well, she could almost say the smile was… Evil.

She shrugged it off and grabbed an apple. When Elinor and Fergus were finally out of earshot, she said, "Well, I'm going to go see what that was about."

One of the triplets, Hamish, took her hand and pulled her through the halls. Merida tried to object, but he only pulled her harder. They finally arrived on the roof of the tower, and Hamish promptly shut the doors behind her.

"Hey! You little brat, let me out!" Merida yelled, pounding on the door. No sound could be heard from outside.

"They got you up here too?"

Merida turned and scowled. Macintosh was leaning against the stone fortifications, looking extremely bored. "They're little devils," she told him, crossing her arms. "Why are you up here?"

Macintosh frowned. "I thought you were going up here… But it was them. I've been up here for an hour…"

Merida sat down between the battlements. "You followed me up here?" she asked, frowning.

Macintosh sat between the battlements beside her. "No… I followed your brothers up here."

Merida rolled her eyes. "You thought you were following me."

Macintosh gave her a flashy smirk. "So what if I was?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Can you stop with that stupid act?" she snapped.

Macintosh looked confused. "What act?" he asked innocently. He rested his arm on the stone and peered around to look at her better.

"The whole 'I know you think I'm so attractive' thing. It's so… Eugh." Merida scowled at him.

Macintosh hesitated. "But… I'm supposed to get you to marry me…" he said, sounding lost.

"Who told you to? Your father?" Merida asked, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah… Kinda…" Macintosh looked down.

"I'm so sick of all this! I don't want to marry any of you!" Merida cried, standing up. She clenched her fists and stared him down, daring him to contradict her.

Macintosh looked up and smirked at her. "You know, if you just pretended like you wanted to marry me-"

"Absolutely not!"

"Wait! Hear me out!" Macintosh exclaimed, holding his hands up in surrender. "Everyone would stop pushing you to marry. Then we could 'fight'-"

"I don't need to trick people! I'm not marrying anyone!"

Merida turned away from him, scowling.

Macintosh stood up, frowning. "Let me get this straight… You don't want to marry any of us just to prove a point?"

Merida spun around to face him. "No! That's not it! I don't want to marry anyone yet!" she snapped.

Macintosh smirked knowingly. "I think you really do want one of us, you just built your walls up so high, you don't even know it." He stepped closer and whispered in her ear, "And I think I know he isn't Wee Dingwall."

Merida's face turned crimson. "What- No! I do not!" she spluttered, backing away from him. "How dare you even suggest that!"

Macintosh laughed. "You know I'm right, Princess. Who is it? Me or MacGuffin? I know he's pretty strong, but the guy can't get a word out."

Merida scowled at him. "I do not like any of you!" She shoved him hard…

And he fell over the wall.

Merida yelped and scrambled to catch him. She barely caught his hand and was yanked against the stone by his weight.

"Pull me up!" Macintosh yelped, hanging only by her hand. "Wait, this window is open! We can get down!"

"Great," Merida squeaked, gripping his hand tightly. "Hurry up!"

Macintosh managed to crawl in the window, and Merida let go of him. She rubbed her shoulder, relieved. "Can you open the doors up here?" she called.

She heard a scream from the room below, and thumps of wood hitting flesh. "I'm sorry! I'll leave!" she heard Macintosh cry.

Merida laughed as she realized that the room below was Maudie's bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm honestly not sure who Merida will end up with. I'll have to see how the characters will develop before I pick one of the suitors. But since I'm not the biggest Dingwall fan… Probably won't be him. At first I wasn't even thinking Macintosh, but lots of people pointed out it would be a good pair. I guess we'll just have to see. Don't count anyone out yet. ;)**

Merida rose early the next morning. Finally, she would be able to ditch the suitors and her mother for a whole day. She threw a dress on and grabbed her bow before running down to Angus' stall.

"Here we go," she murmured to the horse, saddling him quickly. She tightened the straps and leapt onto his back, crying, "Hyah!"

Angus whinnied loudly enough to wake the castle and galloped out of the gates. Within minutes, they were under the protection of the trees and Merida was happily shooting arrows at the rapidly passing targets.

She laughed as she finished her usual run. She was hardly winded; neither was Angus. He snorted as she pulled him to a stop.

"Calm down, we'll go again in a bit," she murmured soothingly to the horse, petting his side. Suddenly, Angus let out a long whinny and danced back the way they came. Merida looked up and smiled as she saw a single will-o-the-wisp dancing above a path. She dismounted and approached it slowly. Sure enough, it disappeared and reappeared farther down the trail.

Merida looked back at Angus. "C'mon!" she whispered loudly, grinning. The horse snorted, but followed her as she walked down the path, following the dancing blue lights. They eventually came to the old Witch's hut. Merida frowned. "Why would they lead me here?" she asked, studying the small house. Angus snorted again.

Merida approached the door slowly and pushed the door open, wary for any booby traps. Nothing happened. Merida frowned and looked around the barren room. A table was over-turned and chairs were smashed apart and scattered over the ground. The cauldron was dented in and upside down in a corner while the ashes of the fire were spread out around the floor. The shelves looked as if someone had chopped them in half with an axe.

Merida walked further inside and inspected the ashes. Boot tracks, men's, by the size of the size of them, were printed in the ashes. In the fire pit were two pendants that appeared to have been dropped. One was Merida's, the DunBroch symbol dull from the ashes. The other she recognized as the symbol of the ancient kingdom and Mor'du's home.

Merida frowned. The witch had been so happy when Merida offered the medallion. She would never purposely leave them behind. Unless… Merida looked at the boot tracks and the destroyed furniture.

"She was taken," Merida whispered, eyes wide.

She scooped up the necklaces and raced back outside. Leaping onto Angus' back, she spurred him in the direction of the castle.

Merida leapt off of Angus' back as soon as they were through the gate and yelled for the servants to take care of the Clydesdale. She pushed the doors open and ran inside. "Father!" she yelled, making her way to the Great Hall.

Fergus was in the middle of his great bear story. As Merida ran up to him, he was just saying, "His face marred by one dead eye. I drew up my-"

"Father!" Merida skidded to a stop in front of Fergus. "The witch! She's been kidnapped!"

Elinor stood from where she had been watching on her throne. "A witch? Kidnapped? Merida, that simply doesn't happen."

Merida shook her head, her curls bouncing everywhere. "She's been taken, Mum, I swear. She left these." She showed her family the medallions.

Fergus took the DunBroch charm. "This one looks like our family's…"

Merida frowned. "It is! I gave it to her for a spell and she acted all greedy over it! She wouldn't just leave it!"

Elinor looked deeply troubled. "Fergus, she was the bear witch," she reminded him.

Something seemed to connect in Fergus' head. "Oh! You don't mean…" He frowned. "No. I told you, it's not true."

Merida looked up at her parents. "What? What does she mean? What's not true?"

Elinor sighed. "There has been some trouble with another clan on our Eastern border. Nothing more than a political discussion."

Merida was not satisfied with that answer. "What does that have to do with bears and witches?" she asked irritably.

"There's been nonsense tales of bear warriors," Fergus said, frowning deeply. "They be just tales of drunken swordsmen. There are no such things as bears that fight for men."

Merida hesitated. "But…"

Elinor shook her head. "Go get cleaned up, Merida. You're filthy."

Her daughter sighed. "Yes, Mum…"

The triplets had been busy braiding their father's hair into the carvings of his chair. As soon as he stood up, he yelped and collapsed back into his throne. "BOYS!"

Instead of going to the baths as her mother requested, Merida went back outside to see to Angus. She frowned as she saw Wee Dingwall feeding her horse oats.

"Dingwall?" she asked, frowning. Merida walked over to him.

He jumped slightly before giving her a smile. "Sorry. He looked hungry," he said sheepishly.

Merida petted Angus' nose. "He'll do anything for a bag of oats," she said fondly. She laughed as he nuzzled her neck.

Dingwall smiled broadly at her. "He's a wonderful horse. Not many Clydesdales like that this far north."

Merida grinned and grabbed Angus' brushed. "He was a birthday present from my parents. I still don't know how they managed to get him."

Dingwall settled himself onto a stool. "I had a Clydesdale. I couldn't bring him, since we came on boat."

Merida brushed out Angus' coat. "Shame. I bet these two would have gotten along grand."

He nodded, smiling. "You know… My dad isn't the only one who wants us to get married…" He smiled that strange smile of his.

Merida hesitated. "I'm sorry… I'm not really interested in romance at the moment…" she said softly, almost not wanting to let him down.

Dingwall hesitated. "Oh. Well… Can we be friends then?"

Merida smiled at him over Angus' back. "I'd like that."

**(I had to throw this in for all you Dingwall lovers out there)**


	5. Chapter 5

Merida was walking along the top of the walls, deep in thought. It was a late spring afternoon; Merida was just warm enough to be called comfortable in her heavy dress. Storms were brewing to the south and west. Lightning was already jumping from cloud to cloud, and the quietest of thunder was barely audible. Within the hour the castle would be shut up tight, since summer storms could tend to be violent. Merida sighed. Another night trapped in doors; sitting prey for her suitors.

"Merida?" someone called, their voice heavily accented but still understandable. She turned and saw Young MacGuffin making his way down the path to her. She smiled politely as he fell in beside her.

"Good afternoon," Merida said, looking down at her feet.

"Efternuin," he said, smiling shyly at her. "Fit loch, Princess?"

Merida smiled up at him. He was still barely understandable, but he was speaking as one of the old soldiers did. 'Fit loch', she recalled, meant 'How are you' in the eastern clans.

"Very good," she said excitedly. "And how are you?" She grinned up at him, feeling like she had finally jumped a hurdle with him.

"Loch a dream ay heaven." MacGuffin blushed darkly. "If ye dornt min' me sayin', Princess."

Merida blushed faintly. "Call me Merida," she said to him. "How did you learn to speak so… Normally?"

MacGuffin hesitated, searching for the right words. "Lots an lots ay practice, Merida." He smiled his sheepish smile.

Merida smiled. "It's so good to finally understand you," she said softly. She twisted a copper curl around her finger.

MacGuffin seemed to gain some confidence. "Ah was wonderin'… Since Ah did sae badly in th' competition… If ye woods help me wi' mah archery." He blushed.

Merida glanced at the oncoming storm, thinking it over. "Of course. Do you have a bow?" she asked, grinning.

MacGuffin nodded eagerly and pulled a small one out of the folds on his sash. "Reit haur," he said proudly.

Merida led him down to the archery range set up in the courtyard. It was no more than an old pig sty with hay bales at one end. There wasn't much room for a real range in the castle walls.

She turned to look at MacGuffin. "Show me what you can do," she told the bigger boy, smiling.

MacGuffin took the small bow and pulled the string back with one large finger. He pointed it in the general direction of the target and plucked the string. The arrow went wide and hit a sleeping guard on the helmet. The man woke for a second, looked around, and fell back asleep.

Merida held back a laugh, noting MacGuffin's disappointed expression. "For one," she said, "You need a much bigger bow." She dug in a nearby pile of practice equipment and pulled out a bow. It was meant to be a long bow for an average man, but would do as a standard bow for MacGuffin.

She handed him the bow. "Here. Try this one," she said. "Keep your left hand like… This. There. Now, hold your releasing hand like this, with two fingers. That's keep your arrow going where you want." She smiled supportively at him. He managed a smile back. "Now pull back."

MacGuffin did so. Merida fixed his form quickly. "When you want to release, close your eye that you're not using, aim, take a deep breath, and relax your fingers. Keep the end of the arrow at the corner of your mouth until you release," she instructed.

MacGuffin took a deep breath and released. The arrow flew straight and hit the bale in the second ring. He beamed and swept Merida into a bear hug. "Ah did it!" he exclaimed.

"Oof!" Merida was crushed against him but smiled anyway. "You did great," she wheezed.

MacGuffin blushed brightly as he let her go. "Sorry…" he mumbled, looking down. "Ah better gang…" He fled quickly to the castle.

Merida chuckled softly and rubbed her aching ribs.

"Merida!" she heard her mother call from the kitchen door. "Your father called an assembly! Hurry, now," she chastised.

Merida groaned and ran to the throne hall. Just as she sat down, the three older Lords walked in the main doors. They were bickering as always.

"Only sixteen men per long boat? That's suicide!" cried Lord Macintosh. "I take twenty, plus replacements!"

"That's just madness! Who can spare that many men for a single boat?" croaked Dingwall. He clapped for his stool as they reached the front of the warriors assembled.

MacGuffin frowned. "Everyone knows ground soldiers are better than water," he said gruffly.

Macintosh gasped. "How could you say that? You couldn't possibly-"

"Enough!" shouted Fergus irritably from his throne.

Merida frowned as she saw her father. He was dressed for riding. An oiled cloak was around his shoulders, like he planned to ride through a storm. Under the cloak was his armor, buffed and shining more than it had in years. His sword was sheathed at his side.

"Quiet!" he called, his brow furrowed. The hall's chatter faded. "About time. I called this meeting to formally announce we are at war. Saxons have taken over the clans to our East and are looking to add us to the list. Because of nonsense rumors, the men are not comfortable with our numbers on the border and asked for the army to be mobilized."

Murmurs arose in the hall. Their country had not been at war since the four clans had been united. Fergus cleared his throat and continued. "I am calling the third and fourth battalion to follow me and fortify the southern half of our border. The first and fifth will go to the north. The second will stay here in case the worst happens." Fergus frowned deeply. "As for the blasted rumors: There be no bear men in our forests. That is pure nonsense. I will hear none of this from me own men." He scowled at the distraught looks on the warriors' faces. "Now git. Go prepare." As the men started filing out, the King added, "I will ask for the Macintoshes and the Dingwalls to stay here. I would advise you, MacGuffin, to send your men home. You are on the Eastern border." Fergus nodded, and the chiefs were dismissed. Lord MacGuffin was already instructing his men to the long boats.

Fergus heaved a great sigh and collapsed into his throne. Elinor bit her lip. "Fergus, must you truly leave? These barbarians have never posed a threat before…"

Merida looked at her father. "Yes, but… The men are scared," she said sadly. "They need their king…"

The triplets looked distraught. They had never been around to see their father go to war.

Fergus nodded. "I have to dispel the rumors…" He stood up, sighing. "We leave at sun down, so we should get to the first outpost by morning." He kissed Elinor gently. "I love you all so much," he said softly. He hugged Merida and the boys, and then walked out the doors.

Merida ran to her room, holding back tears. As soon as she tossed herself into her bed, she broke into sobs and tears.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to everyone that reads this story! I've never had a story with more than forty reviews. This one is a billion times more popular than my others. So thank you to every reviewer, favorite, and follower! I know some people are upset that Dingwall's out, but I have to start narrowing the field somewhere. The plot will start heating up now, so get ready for some twists. Review!**

Merida gripped the stone in front of her as she watched the forests from the tower. It had been a week since her father rode to the border. The castle was eerily silent; Elinor stayed to her rooms, as did the triplets. The whole family was hurting. Merida couldn't even take Angus for their usual run. Fergus had banned her from riding in the forest in case the Saxons truly had taken the Witch.

"Hurry home…" Merida said softly, a single tear working its way down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and sniffled. She was truly scared. Terrified, really. The bear men were real, she knew it. Why else would they take the Witch?

"Morning, Princess," called a careless voice. She turned and saw Young Macintosh pulling himself onto the room. She scowled at him.

Macintosh tsked at her. "You'll never get a husband with that face," he taunted, walking over to her. He grinned down at her.

Merida shoved his chest. "You jerk!" she yelled. "I don't care about husbands!" she scowled at him. "How can you even think of marriage when my dad-" She didn't trust her voice to go on. She turned and stared intently at the forest.

"Hey… Come here…" Macintosh held out his hands to hug her. She made no move to go to him. "Your father is an amazing warrior…" he said softly, leaning against the battlements. "You have nothing to worry about, Merida."

Merida looked down, her copper curls hiding her face from him. "I do… I know the bear men exist. The Witch that turned my mum into a bear is missing…" she said, sniffling.

Macintosh frowned and took her hand. He rubbed his thumb over her palm gently. She didn't pull away and allowed that small comfort. "Then… We'll have to go rescue him," he said, grinning.

Merida looked up at him, frowning. "What?" she asked, clearly confused. "Leave the castle?"

Macintosh nodded, grinning. "Jump on our horses and ride like mad to the border. Knocking the heads of a few Saxons will make you feel better."

Merida shook her head. "I can't leave my Mum…" she mumbled.

Macintosh sat between the battlements, shaking his head. "Don't worry about that. What's the first thing we need?" he asked her.

Merida rubbed her eyes, frowning. "I can't-"

"Hey," he said firmly, meeting her gaze stubbornly. "What do we need to run away?"

Merida sighed and sat down. "Food. Weapons. Horses."

"And how will we know where to ride?" Macintosh prodded, smiling.

"We follow the East Road," she said, frowning. "From there, the North along the river. Then we're at the first outpost."

"Perfect," Macintosh said, grinning. "So, will you run away with me?"

Merida looked across the town below as she heard the bellow of an incoming ship. "Dad!" she cried, beaming. Merida ran to the trap door and hurdled through the palace, yelling, "He's back! He's back!"

She leapt onto Angus and headed him towards the town. She happened to look up at the tower and saw Macintosh still standing there, a confused and almost hurt look on his face. Merida shook it off and continued down to the docks.

The two remaining Lords and Wee Dingwall had beaten her to receive the boat. She frowned and dismounted, eager to see her father again.

She was shocked when she saw Young MacGuffin and a few bedraggled soldiers slowly working the boat to the docks. The young Lord looked like he hadn't slept in days. The other soldiers were no better.

"But… I don't understand…" Merida said softly, confused.

Lord Macintosh and a few of his servants helped tug the boat against the dock. MacGuffin stumbled out and looked at the two Lords with fear in his eyes. "They… They took Castle MacGuffin…" he managed. "Th' bear men…"

Merida looked down, bitterly disappointed and scared. "C'mon," she said softly, taking MacGuffin's arm. "I'll take you to the healer…"

MacGuffin nodded, looking relieved. "Yer faither was nae in the' battle," he told her. "But… Mah faither. They took mine as prisoner."

Merida hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry…" She pulled him up the way to the castle, Angus following a bit behind. Once she had handed the big boy over to the healer, she ran to her mother's room.

"The bear men are real," Merida cried as she ran in. She frowned as she saw Elinor standing by the window, just staring at the grounds below. "Mum?"

Elinor glanced up, a worried look on her face. "Oh... Merida. What is all the commotion about?" she asked quietly.

Merida frowned. Her mother looked like she hadn't slept or eaten in days. "MacGuffin's land has been captured. The lord was taken, but his son took a boat here to warn us. Mum… When's the last time you ate?" She bit her lip.

Elinor just shook her head. "The other clan Lords will need to go to fight. Their men along, with the rest of ours…" She stood up straighter. "Tell a servant to get Dingwall and Macintosh in the Dining Hall. We need to strategize."

Merida sighed and nodded. "Yes, Mum." She walked out and told the first servant she saw, telling her to also have plenty of food for Elinor to choose from.

Merida made her way to her bedroom, thinking hard. She didn't think the clan leaders would be enough to turn the tide of the invasion. She thought of Macintosh's offer. It would never work… Two young people couldn't change the outcome of an entire war.

Yet… Maybe four could.


	7. Chapter 7

**Just answering a couple questions: No, I'm not giving the guys names, because it'll change the way I think about them. To me, Logan gives off an entirely different character than Tom. I want to stick with the characters. Two, let's say that the witch rebuilt her house. I don't think she'd just pick up her cauldron and move to the next hill. Anyways, thanks, everyone! (Yes, this chapter is a little short. Sorry!)**

Merida spent the next three days planning the escape out in her head. She had yet to ask her suitors to go with her, but she was sure they would go to help their fathers. She gathered food that would keep in her room and laid out good clothes. She hoarded her arrows and kept them all in her largest quiver and tended to her bow hourly. She did not want to go to war without her best weapon.

She was still planning during dinner on the third day. Lord Macintosh and Lord Dingwall had taken their warriors to help Fergus, so the three boys ate with the royal family. Macintosh kept up a steady chatter, although no one else spoke. MacGuffin looked haunted. He barely ate, much like Elinor. Dingwall was watching Merida and the Queen. He had seemed to adopt Elinor during the past few days, always reminding her to eat or saying strange things to make her smile.

Merida's head jerked up as the doors to the room flew open. A hunched figure stood in the doorway, water dripping from his cloak as wind blew in from outside. Thunder, although dull-sounding before, boomed throughout the room.

Elinor stood up, scowling. "Who are you?" she demanded regally.

The figure threw himself to the ground in an attempt to bow. "M'lady," he croaked. "The entire army was… The king…" The man looked up, his expression fevered and desperate. "He was captured." His voice grew quiet. "Turned into a bear before me very eyes…"

Elinor gasped. "Fergus…" She swayed, and Dingwall rose to steady her.

"Mum…" Merida breathed. "We have to do something…"

Elinor tried to steady herself, tears falling from her eyes. "No…" she whispered. She fell to the floor in a dead faint.

Merida dashed to her side, panicked. "Mum!" She tried to wake her, but Elinor remained unconscious.

Macintosh called for guards and they carried Elinor to her room.

Merida stared at the floor, tears in her eyes. She was the next capable ruler of her country. Her head snapped up and she looked to Macintosh. "Call every guard and soldier to the Great Hall," she said, her back straightening to rise to her full height.

Macintosh nodded. "Of course," he said, running out of the room.

"Merida?" Dingwall asked, frowning. "Queen Elinor…"

Merida gave him a stubborn look. "My mum cannot rule a country while we are at war. Especially now that King Fergus is no long a human." Merida turned on her heels and marched to the Great Hall.

Soldiers were already filing in, giving the princess strange looks as they filled the hall. Once the stream of soldiers ended, Merida took a deep breath.

"King Fergus has been a victim of the strange magic that the Saxons are using against us. He has been turned into the one creature he hates- A bear." Gasps filled the room. "As my mother will not rule while she mourns. As the only eligible royal family member, I name myself Queen during this time of war."

Merida hesitated. "And as Queen, I call the last of the soldiers of DunBroch to my aid. We shall ride to this Saxon camp and rescue my father. We shall beat these invaders back to where they came."

Several soldiers shook their heads. Others, mostly the younger ones that were left behind, looked concerned.

Merida looked to the young lords. "As the heirs to the clans under DunBroch, will you follow me to battle?"

The young lords simply looked away.

Merida felt her confidence waver, and then grew furious. "If this was King Fergus standing here, you would back him a thousand times," she yelled, her accent thicker than ever. "Just because I am not the Bear King does not mean I do not have the right to lead you."

Macintosh frowned deeply. "You are going to get hurt, Merida."

Merida narrowed her eyes. "If you will not stand with me, get out of my way," she snapped. "Anyone that wants to fight for their country will ride with me."

And with that, she stormed out of the room.

The suitors found her in her bedroom a few hours later. She was staring out of the window blankly, her bow in her hands.

MacGuffin sat on the bed and it creaked under his weight. He blushed and said, "We will stain wi' ye, Princess," he said softly.

Macintosh nodded. "Even if none of the soldiers will."

Merida looked up. "No one else is willing to go?" she whispered, frowning.

Dingwall shook his head. "They want to protect what little they have left here. I do not blame them…" He hesitated. "I will stay here. To watch the castle."

Merida bit her lip and nodded. "Alright. You two will go?" she asked the other boys. They nodded. Merida grinned and grabbed her saddle bags. "Then we leave tonight."

Less than an hour later, Merida was urging Angus through the forest, Macintosh and MacGuffin galloping behind her.

She allowed herself a small smile. Despite their numbers, Merida felt they had a fighting chance.


End file.
